The Month in Horror Releases: August

If you’re a fan of the new wave of indie horror then you should be pretty happy to see August’s genre line-up, as it’s mostly made up of unknown films just waiting to be discovered. And while this month is certainly checking all of the genre boxes (sharks, demons, slashers, and more), a lot of these films have garnered little to no hype, so it’ll be interesting to see which of them really stands out. But before we get started, here’s what I watched in July:

Hurt (review): The film struggles to find an identity of its own despite being firmly planted in one of horror’s best genres: the slasher.

August 3

Bad Samaritan (VOD)

Director: Dean Devlin

Cast: David Tennant, Kerry Condon, Robert Sheehan

A pair of burglars stumble upon a woman being held captive in a home they intended to rob.

August 7

Aura (VOD)

Director: Steve Lawson

Cast: Shane Taylor, Rula Lenska, Denise Moreno

A couple discover Kirlian Photography apparatus in their new house. Intrigued by the concept of photographing peoples’ Auras they unwittingly release an ancient evil. Only the local psychic can help and she knows far more than she reveals.

August 10

Along Came the Devil (VOD)

Director: Jason DeVan

Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Madison Lintz, Jessica Barth

After a troubled childhood, Ashley searches for a connection, and unknowingly invites in a demonic force, which leaves her loved ones fighting for her soul.

Elizabeth Harvest (VOD)

Director: Sebastian Gutierrez

Cast: Dylan Baker, Matthew Beard, Carla Gugino

Newlywed Elizabeth arrives with her brilliant scientist husband Henry to his magnificent estate, where he wows her with lavish dinners and a dazzling tour of the property. The house staff Claire and Oliver treat her deferentially but she can’t shake the feeling something is off. Henry explains that everything in his world now belongs to her, all is for her to play in – all except for a locked-off room he forbids her from entering. When he goes away for business, Elizabeth decides to investigate.

Slender Man (Theaters)

Director: Sylvain White

Cast: Joey King, Javier Botet, Annalise Basso

Slender Man tells the story of a tall, thin, horrifying figure with unnaturally long arms and a featureless face, who is reputed to be responsible for the haunting and disappearance of countless children and teens.

The Meg (Theaters)

Director: Jon Turteltaub

Cast: Ruby Rose, Jason Statham, Jessica McNamee

After escaping an attack by what he claims was a 70-foot shark, Jonas Taylor must confront his fears to save those trapped in a sunken submersible.

What Still Remains (Theaters; VOD on the 14th)

Director: Josh Mendoza

Cast: Lulu Antariksa, Colin O’Donoghue, Mimi Rogers

After the loss of her family, a young woman struggles to survive in a world long-since destroyed by disease; but when a lonely traveler offers her a place in his community, she must decide if the promise of a better life is worth the risk of trusting him.

August 14

Patient Zero (VOD)

Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky

Cast: Natalie Dormer, Stanley Tucci, Matt Smith

After an unprecedented global pandemic turns the majority of humankind into violent “Infected,” a man gifted with the ability to speak the Infected’s new language leads the last survivors on a hunt for Patient Zero and a cure.

August 17

Ahockalypse (VOD)

Director: Wayne Harry Johnson Jr.

Cast: Jesse Rennicke, Squall Charlson, Alex Galick

After winning the championship cup, Jonsey and his team must survive the zombie apocalypse.

Down a Dark Hall (Theaters & VOD)

Director: Rodrigo Cortés

Cast: AnnaSophia Robb, Taylor Russell, Uma Thurman

Kit Gordy, a new student at the exclusive Blackwood Boarding School, confronts the institution’s supernatural occurrences and dark powers of its headmistress.

Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich (VOD)

Director: Sonny Laguna, Tommy Wiklund

Cast: Thomas Lennon, Michael Paré, Charlyne Yi

All hell breaks loose when a strange force animates the puppets up for auction at a convention, setting them on a bloody killing spree that’s motivated by an evil as old as time.

August 24

Summer of 84 (VOD)

Director: François Simard, Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell

Cast: Graham Verchere, Judah Lewis, Caleb Emery

After suspecting that their police officer neighbor is a serial killer, a group of teenage friends spend their summer spying on him and gathering evidence, but as they get closer to discovering the truth, things get dangerous.

What Keeps You Alive (Theaters & VOD)

Director: Colin Minihan

Cast: Hannah Emily Anderson, Brittany Allen, Martha MacIsaac

Majestic mountains, a still lake and venomous betrayals engulf a female married couple attempting to celebrate their one-year anniversary.

August 31

Blood Fest (VOD)

Director: Owen Egerton

Cast: Zachary Levi, Tate Donovan, Seychelle Gabriel

A girl’s obsession with her brother’s disappearance leads her on a nightmarish journey through a small town’s Gothic landscape where she is faced with a deadly proposition. How far will she go to save the people she loves?

Boarding School (VOD)

Director: Boaz Yakin

Cast: Luke Prael, Sterling Jerins, Will Patton

A young boy becomes fascinated with the persona of his dead grandmother and is sent to an isolated boarding school for misfits run by a mysterious headmaster and his wife.

I think Elizabeth Harvest definitely looks interesting! I have never played Slenderman, but know the concept and want to see the movie. I was surprised to see Uma Thurman in Down a Dark Alley, the acting by the rest of the cast leaves much to be desired from what I could tell from the trailer I saw, (not to mention, it is from the producers of the Twilght saga, why the hell would you ever want to admit to that? lol. Lastly, The Boarding School might be worth a look at.